Sambath is a cheerful six-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives with his three siblings and parents, who earn income by collecting plastic bottles for recycling. Two years ago, Sambath had an ear infection that caused the ear drums in his right and left ears to perforate. As a result, Sambath experiences ear discharge, hearing loss, and a history of snoring at night which has been exacerbated by an inflammation of the nose. His communication with others has been hampered, and he no longer attends school. Sambath and his mother traveled to our medical partner's care center to seek help for his condition. On March 20th, he will undergo a myringoplasty procedure to repair the eardrums on both of his ears, at Kien Khlang National Rehabilitation Centre. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $914 to cover medications, supplies, and inpatient care for the procedure. Sambath's mother says, "After surgery, I hope that Sambath will be able to speak more clearly, and that his hearing will improve. I would like for him to do well in school, and feel hopeful about the future."

Rehma is a 5-year-old student in the first grade. She is the only child in the family. Both her parents are doing business selling second-hand clothes and running a barber shop respectively. Rhema likes smiling and eating but since her problem started, her family said she has not been the same and no longer shares her smile or eats enough. Rhema was well until 2020 when she started becoming weak and lethargic and her behavior changed. Her parents took her to the hospital where tests noted nothing wrong. They later took her to different hospitals seeking help but to no avail. Last year in December, Rhema was sick and could not eat anything, so she lost weight. Upon taking her to a private hospital, a diagnosis of a hernia was made after she pointed out the source of her pain. Her mother Pauline was notified about the need for surgery. Fortunately, she was then tipped by well-wishers to seek medical support from Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH). Hernia is the condition in which soft tissue bulges through a weak point in the abdominal muscle. If the hernia is left untreated, the size of the protruding intestine might get bigger and become strangulated leading to the reduction of blood flow to surrounding tissues which may be life-threatening. On January 26th, Rhema and her mother visited PIH for further assessments despite their financial challenges. Rhema was seen by the surgeon who confirmed the diagnosis of a hernia, and she was then recommended for surgery. She was recommended to our program for financial support and their family is also contributing what they can to her treatment. Rhema's family needs help raising $575 in funds for her surgery, scheduled for January 30th. Rhema’s mother looks forward to a successful surgery that would enable Rhema to concentrate on her school as she continues concentrating on her business. She said, “I just want my only daughter to be well to continue sharing her smiles and concentrate at school.”

Miriam is a sociable four-year-old girl from Arusha Tanzania, the first born child in a family of two children. Miriam's father works casual day jobs to earn a living, while the mother is a homemaker. Despite financial challenges due to limited income, the parents work diligently to ensure their family's well-being. Miriam was brought to our medical partner's care center, Kafika House, by her mother following a burn incident she experienced in May 2023. A pot of boiling beans tipped off and the hot water spilled on Miriam, causing burn injuries. She was first taken to a nearby healthcare center for wound care, and it took a month for her wounds to heal. During the healing process, her skin developed a burn contracture on her elbow, which was left untreated as the health center did not have the capacity to handle such cases, and the family did not have the financial resources to seek treatment in a larger institution. Sometime later, Miriam's mother met one of Kafika House's staff members who advised her to go to the facility for an assessment, with hope for treatment, as the condition was already limiting Miriam's ability to perform her daily activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Miriam receive treatment at their care center Kafika House. On April 2nd, surgeons will perform a burn contracture release surgery to restore the functionality of her hand. Now, she needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Miriam’s mother says: “Please help my daughter get this treatment. I hope she will grow up with her arm fully functional.”